Black Panther star Letitia Wright divulged in a recent interview that her life was transformed after becoming a follower of Jesus. Her conversion to Christianity helped lift her out of a struggle with depression and a desire to quit the entertainment industry.
She was tapped in 2018 to play the role of Shuri, the sister of lead actor Chadwick Boseman’s King T’Challa character in Black Panther. Boseman, 43, died in 2020 after a private battle with colon cancer.
Now Wright, 29, plays the lead role in the sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
During an interview with The Guardian, she confessed even though her career was on a successful path, she had lost her values. She told the outlet she partied, drank, and also tried to immerse herself in her work, but nothing helped.
Then she got a call from a friend. Actor Malachi Kirby (known for his role of Kunte Kinte in the remake of the “Roots” TV miniseries), a Christian, called her to say he knew she was in a bad way and God had told him to reach out to her, according to the outlet.
Wright didn’t believe Kirby but went with him to a Bible study.
She told The Guardian how Christianity changed her.
“It gave me the centering I needed, the good foundation I needed, and it helped me to put in perspective what was important for me,” Wright said. “Chasing something that is not tangible or not wholesome is not the way I want to go. If I was to pack all this up I’d still be happy with my faith, the contentment I feel and the connection to God.”
She also told the outlet, she realized that after chasing things like a better role, or more accolades, or more recognition, she realized she didn’t have to chase that anymore.
“If I trust that God has a plan for my life and I follow that and trust I’m doing the right things, then if people feel it, they will. I just want my work to speak for itself, and I feel that’s what Aisha does, and what Shuri in Black Panther does,” Wright said.
Even though she came from a family of believers, the actress explained their church attendance was not constant.
“I had to find what worked for me and I found that Jesus worked for me,” Wright noted. “The more I prayed, the more I felt connected and the less anxious.”
As CBN News reported in October 2020, the actress launched her own production company that she said was inspired by God.
Wright named her company Threesixteen Productions after the popular Bible verse John 3:16 with the goal of producing “meaningful content within the entertainment industry.”
The New Testament verse reads, “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
She told Porter Magazine at the time, “It was a name that was pressed on my heart. When I was in a dark place, God reached out to me and I kind of see my production company in that sense. There’s an issue and it needs a little bit of saving.”
Wright, who has been outspoken about her Christian faith, was named in early January of 2019 as the highest box office earner of 2018.
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As CBN News reported in 2019, she gave a stunning, faith-filled acceptance speech upon picking up the BAFTA (British Academy Film Awards) “Rising Star” award in the United Kingdom.
“I identify myself as a child of God and I can’t get up here without thanking God,” Wright boldly declared as she took to the stage. The actress went on to discuss her previous battle with depression, which struck at a time when her acting career repeatedly stalled. However, despite the heartache, and amid this excruciating period of failure, Wright revealed that it was her unwavering faith in Jesus that ultimately sustained her.
“A few years ago I saw myself in a deep state of depression and I literally wanted to quit acting,” she said. “The only thing that pulled me out of it was God, my belief, my faith, and my family, and an email from BAFTA asking me to become part of the BAFTA Breakthrough Brits.”
“I was like: ‘Let me try again,'” she added.
“I want to thank everybody who said yes to me, that gave me a chance, and just saw my talent and saw what God placed in me, and said ‘yes,'” Wright continued, before offering the following faith-filled word of encouragement to young people:
“I want to encourage young people. You don’t have to be young, you can be any age, but I want to encourage you – anyone going through a hard time… God made you and you’re important,” the actress declared. “There might be some of you here who might be going through a hard time. I just want to encourage you, and God loves you. Just let your light shine.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: In reporting about steps that high-profile individuals may be taking to seek God or start a relationship with Him, CBN does not endorse past or current behavior that may not line up with the Word of God. As we report positive developments in celebrities’ spiritual journeys, we encourage our readers to pray for anyone and everyone in the news, that the fruit of God would grow in all of our lives.
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